Earth excavating machine



Dec. 23, 1930. A. CLARK 1,786,335

EARTH EXCAVATING MACHINE Filed DeQ. l, 1928' 2 Sheets-Sheet l '3,- 1930. A. CLARK EARTH EXCAVATING MACHINE Filed Dec. 1. 1928 ZSheets-Sheet 2 Patented I Dec. 23, 1930 ADAMGL'ARK, OFWILLOWS, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA EARTH-EXCAVATiNG?MACHINE The invention relates to improvements. in

' earth excavating machines and anlobject of the invention istopr'ovidea machine wherein a ploughis utiliz'edto deliver ploughed dirt 5 'into an ac omp y g r i y le' Total" 'ing wheel, the wheel having internal buckets which receive and elevate the earth to a point where it is discharged into a, receiving trough m or chute discharging from thewheel. I A further object is toarrange the -plough so that the depth ofcut can be readily gauged by the attendant and such that the earth dug by the plough will be positively delivered-into the interior of the wheelat the lower side 7x15 thereof. r

A'further object is toprovide means interior of the wheel and adapted todeflect-any earth dropping from the rising buckets onto the underlying buckets and by so doing prevent the accumulation of dirt around the huh:

I A further object of the invention is to provide a box for receiving and collecting the earth discharged from the wheel and to proreadilyvdumped from time to time as occasion requires.

VAstill further object is to providewa posi- I Fig. 6 is a sectional view similar to Figure 4showing a modified construction.

' Inthe drawings like. characters of reference indicate. corresponding parts in the SGVr,

Themachine as herein disclosed can be used with or without a collecting box for the excavated earth as the use ofthe box would vide the box with means whereby it can be i being had to. the accompanying drawings, in-

' n 'I Application fi led December 1', 1928. Serial No. 3 ,011,

beidirectly depositedto .theJside of the ma- 6:,

chine, the collecting box will vbe utilized ltO hold the excavated earth and the machine will b'e'driven to'the point where itiis to be dumped fromtime totime'. i

Where the-machineiisto be vused for .exca vating purposes suolizts trenches or ditches. where the earth can be thrown to the side of the ditch, it is notnecessary to use [the box and accordingly'the same can be. dispensed j with. In the drawingspthe machine isshown' B as embodying'the earth receiving box andthe details thereof are accordingly herein de- 7 scribed. m

i Themain frame jof the machine is substai1- tially re'ctangular and embodies 'a pairgof parallel side beams 1 and 2, aafurther..single side beam 3spa'cedfrom'be'am 2, a front forwardly extendingjplatform 4 connecting the V beams andairear cross beam 5. Anelevated fr'amerG is also provided, this being closed at" theinner side by the beam'S and embodying also an .outer beam 7 parallel tothe beam3, a forward elevated platform 8. connectingthe beam 7 tothe beam 3'and'a rearward cross beam'9. p

A horizontally disposed brace bar 10 is fastened to the elevated platform 8 and crosses the platform 4 and has the end thereof down turned and fastened at ,11 to the rear outer corner ,ofthe latter platform. Anangle iron 12 issecured'to the under side of the platform 4 atthe rear edge thereof and is extended toprovide an angularly disposed brace barW13 which has the outer end fastened to'the underside of the elevated platform 8. An angleiron 14 underlies the beam 5 and has one end thereof extended'to provide an angular brace15 supporting the rearouter corner of the" elevated frame.

i The platform 4 has t. e forward end thereof supported by a; pivoted truck of any approved'design and the truck carries a hitching ring 17 to which the draft animals or a, tractor can be. attached.

The elevated framecarries more'or' less centrally a pair of aligned bearings 18 and 19 which support rotatably a cross shaft 20. On the shaft between the bearings, I mount rotatably a wheel embodying a hub 21, a circular head plate 22 secured to the outer end of the hub, spokes 23 radiating from and attached to the plate and a comparatively wide rim 24 fastened to the outer ends of the spokes, the rim being provided with relatively deep continuous side flanges 25 and 26. The spokes carry flanges 27 passing transversely of the wheel and terminating at the rim flange 26 and each of the flanges 27 is cut and bent to provide deflecting wings 28 and 29. The wings 28 are concentric to the hub and extend transversely of the wheel and the wings 29 also pass transversely of the wheel and form with the retained portions of the flanges 27 and the rim and flanges of the wheel, buckets for gathering and elevating earth deposited in the wheel in a manner later disclosed. Centrally between the buckets so formed, I have provided further buckets formed by fastening somewhat Z-sliaped plates 30 to the rim between the flanges.

The buckets indicated generally by the reference character A are all equi-spaced around the circumference of the wheel and when the wheel is rotated in the direction indicated by the applied arrow Figure 4, the buckets at the lower side of the wheel serve to gather and hold earth deposited in the lower side of the wheel and as the wheel rotates, they carry that earth upwardly until it discharges under the action of gravity over the then inclinded wings.

Whilst I have entered into a detailed description of the manner in which the buckets are formed, the structure shown might be materially modified without departing from the spirit of the invention as will readily be appreciated.

The beams 1 and 2 are supported by aground wheel 31, the shaft 32 of which is rotatably mounted in bearings 33 carried by said latter beams. The beams 2 and 3 support a substantially rectangular earth receiving box 34 which has the bottom thereof normally closed by a pair of hinged gates 35 and 36, these gates being releasably held closed by lines 37 and 38 attached to the ends thereof and secured to a winding shaft 39 rotatably carried by the ends of the box and provided forwardly with a winding crank 40. A ratchet wheel 41 is secured to the shaft and a pivoted dog 42 engages the ratchet wheel, such latter parts operating to hold the gates closed.

Obviously if the box be full of earth and it is desired to dump it, it is only necessary to release the dog 42 from the ratchet wheel which fees the gates and permits the earth to discharge.

A suitably supported counter shaft 43 is located above and parallel to the shaft 82 and these latter shafts carry chain wheels 44 and 45 connected by a driving chain 46. The inner end of the shaft 43 is connected by a universal joint 47 to a further shaft 48 provided with a worm or auger 49 extending into the wheel and operating within a collecting trough 50 which is suitably supported adjustably as indicated at 51 from the beam 3. The trough is adapted to receive the earth discharged by the wings of the buckets A and the worm obviously discharges the earth caught by the trough into the box. The beam 3 carries a downwardly extending guard plate 52 which prevents dirt from escaping out the inner side of the wheel.

A hood 53 of suitable design is carried by the elevated frame and covers the upper side of the wheel. The inner side of the hood is cut away to admit the trough.

A plough 54 is located at the side of the bucket carrying wheel, the plough being permanently fastened to a plough beam 55 positioned parallel to the beam 3. Similar front and rear horizontally disposed spacing arms 56 and 57 are permanently secured to the plough beam and have their inner ends pivotally fastened to the inner side of the main frame.

Means is provided for controlling the depth of cut of the plough, such embodying a link 58 pivotally secured to the plough beam and V to the cranked lower end 59 of a control lever 60, the lever being pivotally secured to the elevated frame and being provided with the customary hand latch 61 and detent 62, the detent operating over a quadrant 63 secured to the elevated beam.

The plough beam carries a rotary coulter 64 in advance of the plough and a furrow wheel 65 to the rear thereof and obviously the depth at which the plough cuts can be controlled by the adjustment of the lever 60. The forward end of the plough beam is supplied with a draft ring 66 which is also suitably hitched to a tractor or draft animals.

The mould board of the plough has the upper end thereof given a considerable forward turn as best shown in Figure 5 and the general arrangement of the plough is such that the earth dug thereby will be deflected and discharged into the adjacent wheel and be caught by the buckets and elevated by such wheel. The wings 28 are so placed in respect to the wings of the buckets that any dirt which might slide off the wings of the rising buckets will be caught by the wings 28 and deflected to a lower bucket instead of being permitted to accumulate around the hub of the wheel.

The machine as above described can be used for excavating purposes where it is desirable that the excavated dirt be caught in the box and deposited in a selected location. Under other circumstances, however, it might not be necessary to collect the excavated d1rt and under such condition, the collecting box could be dispensed with and the earth discharged from the wheel directly onto the ground at which time it will be deposited to the side of the ditch made by the plough. Under conditions where the earth is afree flowing earth,

the positive worm delivery couldbe dispensed with and an inclined collecting and discharging chute 67 such as shown in Figure'6 can be used. In this latter figure, I have also shown the box as dispensed with.

What I claim as myinvention is 1. Inan earth excavating machine, a rotatably mounted wheel embodying a relatively wide rim having side flanges, a hub, spokes extending between one of: the flanges and the hub at one side of the wheel, the. other side thereof being open, spaced cross members located on the inner side of the rim and form ing with therim a pluralityof earth elevat ing buckets and earth deflecting means adjoining the hub and extending transversely of the wheel.

2. In an earth excavating machine, a rotatably mounted wheel embodying a relatively wide rim having side flanges, a hub, spokes 7 extending between one of the flanges and the hub at one side of the wheel, the other side thereof being open, spaced cross members located on the inner side of the rim and forming with the rim a plurality of earth elevating buckets and earth deflecting plates spaced from and concentric to the hub and passing across the wheel.

3. In an earth excavating machine, a rotatably mounted wheel embodying a relatively Wide rim having inwardly extending side flanges, a hub, spokes extending between one of the flanges and the hub at one side of the wheel, the other side of the wheel being open,

said spokes carrying transversely extending flanges adjacent the rim and adjacent the hub, such flanges adjacent the rim being provided with deflecting wings at their inner edges and such flanges adjacent the hub being provided at their outer edges with deflecting wings positioned concentric to the hub, the cross flanges adjacent the rim forming with the rim flanges a plurality of elevating buckets.

Signed at Assiniboia, Saskatchewan, this 17th day of April, 1928. V ADAM CLARK. 

